Dry walls and air in your basement are two things many homeowners take for granted. Dry air means healthy air, and a dry basement free of mold is a place that your family can enjoy. Letting cracks in the foundation of your home go, means water seeping into the basement and making that part of your home unlivable, and by not addressing the issue, the cost can escalate rapidly. Make sure you have a livable and healthy place you call home. If you have problems with the basement or the foundation of your home, contact us for a free consultation.
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Protect your home and health with a dry house
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) A dry home is a healthy home. If you have water in your basement or crawl space, Everdry should be your first call.
Everdry offers full service waterproofing including basements, crawl spaces, walls, floor, and foundation. They also address the air quality in the home. Everdry is unique because they do more than just get the water out. They tell you why you need to get the water out and how to protect your home and belongings and health.
If you notice a musty odor, see signs of moisture, cracks, mold, or dry rot, call Everdry at 1-800-275-7910 to get a free inspection.
Visit them at the Grand Rapids Remodeling and New Homes Show January 8 through 10 at DeVos Place to be entered into a raffle for a $300 gift card to Menards.
Mention the Remodeling and New Homes Show or eightWest to get $1,000 off Everdry’s Multi-Step Waterproofing system. Anyone who schedules a free inspection also gets an Everdry t-shirt.
Everdry is participating in the Polar Plunge at Reed’s Lake in East Grand Rapids on February 13. The event benefit the Special Olympics. To participate or help raise money, find information on Everdry Facebook page.
Water Woes: Owners can take steps to protect their homes from flooding
Owners can take steps to protect their homes from flooding.
Bryon Coleman knew his basement had a slight water problem.
During truly monumental rains, the “man cave” down there might get a little damp, but a drain in one corner would quickly funnel the water out of the house.
Then came 4 inches of rain on Christmas Day.
“We got up that morning and we were having Christmas with the boys when, all of a sudden, I told my wife, ‘I need to go down to the basement,'” he recalls. “I didn’t go down there early enough.”
The basement in his 1938 home in the Belvoir neighborhood has a concrete floor, but he’s covered it in carpet tile that locks together like a puzzle, no glue involved. Opening the basement door on Christmas, he gazed into the room “and there was 2 inches of water in one end of the basement.”
“I turned and closed the door,” he says.
Coleman is comparatively lucky. The drain eventually took care of the water and then he had to pull up the carpet tiles, clean them and put them some place to thoroughly dry — as well as sop up whatever dampness remained on the basement floor.
Small cracks can mean big problems
Most homes have doors that stick or small cracks in the walls. Even though it’s common, cracks are not something to be ignored.
Homes and the soil underneath them move with the temperature and moisture of our Louisiana weather. Given the type of soil that makes up the Red River Valley and our Louisiana weather patterns offering river flooding and drought at the same time, we have dynamic soil. This can cause serious structural damage to our homes over time.
Soil and concrete slabs are subject to temperature change, which means a house will move and “settle” throughout the year. Foundation settlement issues are standard for our area, experts and homeowners agree, but when should a homeowner be concerned that a crack is more than just a crack?
“All structures and buildings move to some extent,” said Matt Wallace, a professional engineer, registered structural engineer and president at local firm Aillet, Fenner, Jolly, and McClelland, Inc.
Homeowners should be aware of warning signs for a possible cracked foundation, such as doors failing to latch, cracks in walls – over doorways, ceilings – cracks in the flooring, or windows failing to operate properly.
If a cracked slab is suspected, the first step is to contact a structural engineer.
Their job is to inspect the home and determine if a repair is needed by a foundation repair company.
